


Santa's Gift

by Daydreamer



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, M/M, Male Slash, Romance, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-12
Updated: 2012-11-12
Packaged: 2017-11-18 12:03:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/560861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daydreamer/pseuds/Daydreamer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Santa, the spirit of Christmas, throws Naruto and Sasuke together after a lifetime of missed chances. Can a man who despises Christmas find his happiness with one who loves it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Santa's Gift

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Pageturn on ygal. I wrote this last year, but since the Christmas Season is almost upon us, I thought I would post it here. I hope you enjoy :) I don't own Naruto nor make money from writing this work of fiction.

He watched on high as the two most perfectly matched souls ever seen by his ancient eyes passed by in yet another missed opportunity. Since their childhood, he watched as one arrived to the park playground just as the other was leaving, as they passed each other on the way to school--one in the back of his father's car while the other waited for the bus. Their lives up to this point were filled with such events of almost meeting. They met so many times but always fate seemed to deem them unfit to connect.

To one such as Santa, this was a tragedy of epic proportions. They were soul mates being denied that integral connection. Their souls reached out for each other again and again, only to be left wanting.

Something needed to be done about the two before their many missed chances led to them forever being denied the warmth of each other. For souls so perfectly matched to be denied each other would lead to a life of dissatisfaction. They would forever search for what they were missing, yet never find it. Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha had fallen through the cracks, leaving him with renewed determination to connect them.

It was not his usual job. Spreading joy as the spirit of Christmas, Santa Claus usually only exerted his power into the hearts of children, for it was the children who possessed the true spirit of Christmas. As they grew up, it became just another day of the year in which they were required to deal with family, buy presents, and donate money. The true spirit of the season was lost on most adults.

Except for Naruto.

In all the millennia of his existence, never had he met a grown human with such a strong sparkle. Glows of that magnitude were usually found only in the heart of children. It was not about the decorations or the presents, it was simply the sheer magic of the season that truly represented it. It was the general feeling of goodwill towards all men, great or small. And that was a rarity, especially in a modern society that held the material possessions in such high regard.

Running a hand through his long white beard, Santa nodded his head and extended a hand. Chubby fingers unwound and golden dust scattered on the wind. For Naruto, he would defy fate and bring these two together. It would be up to them to decide their fate afterwards.

He had faith in the two. They simply needed to be nudged off of their current paths and be placed directly into each other's. With Christmas only a breath away, this little task was definitely a job for Santa.

~*~

Sasuke Uchiha stumbled slightly as he passed through the revolving door into the large Macy's department store. His eyes were blasted with the festive colors of red, silver, gold, and green. Fully decorated Christmas trees dotted the interior, towering nearly to the ceiling and boasting even more color and lights. Garland hung on the walls and on every spare inch of space not occupied with the wares to sell to holiday shoppers.

Seeing the décor and the atmosphere only instilled one thought into him as he skirted past two elderly women teetering back and forth in holiday joy: he hated Christmas.

It was nothing more than a day of the year that retailers used to hike up the prices after a single day of 'deals'. What one might think is a special deal is nothing more than smart business planning. No one really saved money or even thought of saving money on their holiday shopping. Stores knew shoppers would buy whatever they needed for gifts regardless of price.

And Sasuke wanted none of it. If it was possible, he would never celebrate one of the most pointless holidays in the year.

"Merry Christmas," called an employee in happy and singsong voice. "Can I help you find anything?"

It took all his strength not to snap at the woman. He hated Christmas and the last thing he wanted was to shop in the overpriced store to which she was currently employed. If not for his mother's insistence of celebrating Christmas in full—complete with Christmas turkey, gift exchange, and holiday eggnog—he would not have even given a thought to its arrival or passing.

"I'm fine." Sasuke brushed past her and towards the tastefully arranged displays of perfume, purses, and other such wares placed in such ways as to draw the consumer into browsing through and hopefully purchasing.

He eyed the expensive costume jewelry and then the hats displayed nearby. It did not matter what he bought his mother. She would love it regardless. It was her nature.

He allowed his gaze to linger on an overpriced handbag before moving to eye several knitted scarves. His mother liked scarves. She always seemed to wear them with her clothing, no matter the occasion.

Picking a few in the colors his mother favored, he then moved to the men's portion of the store and plucked the first pair of cuff links he spotted. Again, his father probably did not care what he was given. Christmas was celebrated for his mother's sake alone.

With purchases in hand, he moved through the store in search of a place to pay for his gifts and then return to his restaurant. The less time he spent shopping, the happier he was.

As he moved through the store with eyes only on the nearest desk to purchase his selections, Sasuke did not see the small container of marbles used in decoration topple over, nor did he notice the handful of clear beads roll across the floor. There was no other thought in his mind but quickly escaping before another Santa hat wearing employee attempted to persuade him to purchase additional gifts or open up a credit card with the store so to gain additional holiday savings. The only holiday savings he was interested in were those that saved him from being required to participate in an archaic tradition that promoted materialism.

Sasuke spotted a suit clad woman behind a small circular designed stand. He shifted speed in the direction. The faster he escaped, the happier he would be.

His determined walk took him directly across the peril of beads and then the world toppled upside down. He did not have the time to regain his balance nor a chance to brace himself for impact. His only knowledge was that the pain ricocheting through his skull following the sickening crunch of his head against the hard floor was the worst he had ever experienced.

Stars danced before his eyes, dimming the overhead lights and nearly blinding him in their brilliance. In the distance he could hear, clear as day, the deep rumbling Santa Claus like laughter over the shouts of the employees as they gathered around him before the pain became too much and he drifted into unconsciousness.

His last thought was that he hated Christmas.

~*~

"I love Christmas." Naruto grinned and lifted a finger to chime the small Christmas bell hanging in the rear view mirror of the ambulance. "Don't you?"

"Not as much as you, I'm sure," commented Kiba dryly, his gaze drifting from the road to skeptically eye Naruto dressed in his standard uniform along with a Santa hat set atop his head at a jaunty angle.

Naruto's grin did not waver. If anything, it grew wider. "You're just a grinch."

"I hate you this time of year." Kiba rolled his eyes skyward. "You're almost intolerable to be around. You are the only grown man I know who still believes in Santa Claus."

Naruto's lower lip poked out slightly. "He exists. Who do you think sits in the mall? Or rings the Salvation Army bells?"

"A poor sap down on his luck with no other monetary options?"

"See that's why you're a grinch. You don't believe that Santa Claus might not be an actual man who flies around on Christmas Eve to give out presents. I prefer to think of him as the spirit of Christmas. Even before Christ, he represented goodwill towards men." Naruto extended his arms wide. "He represents love in the world towards our fellow man."

"You're a strange one." Kiba heaved a sigh. "But at least you're tolerable...every other month out of the year."

"Grinch!" he growled teasingly.

"349, do you copy?"

"God, I hate this time of year. I think the month of December is worse than all the full moon nights put together," grumbled Kiba at the static coated voice spilling into the cab.

"Like I said…a grinch," said Naruto as he plucked the radio mic from its place. "This is 349, what can I do for you, Sakura?"

"We've a 911 call to Macy's. Apparently a man has fallen and is unconscious. Possible head and neck injuries," informed the dispatcher's crackly voice.

Naruto glanced at Kiba, who immediately flipped the switch to sound the siren and start the lights to flashing. "ETA in one minute."

"How in the hell did we get lucky to pull one so close?" Kiba nodded towards Macy's. "Maybe your good Christmas karma is working in our favor today."

"Time to show our goodwill towards men."

Again Kiba rolled his eyes. "I don't give a shit about goodwill towards men. The only goodwill I care about is my good willed check."

Naruto's grin only widened. "I'll make a believer out of you yet."

Kiba snorted loudly and pulled the ambulance into position in the yellow stripped parking created strictly for emergency vehicles. The two jumped from the cab and moved to the back where Kiba extracted their emergency bags and Naruto guided the stretcher onto the sidewalk. Several curious bystanders paused to watch the two men quickly move through the waiting doors where a manager stood to guide them towards the injured man.

"This way. I don't know what happened to spill the marbles onto the floor. He hasn’t moved since we called 911."

Naruto nodded and picked up his pace. "Is there any blood?"

"None that I saw before I moved to the front to wait for you."

Kiba draped his stethoscope around his neck and tossed Naruto's bag to him. "We'll check him out."

Naruto was the first to spot the crowd circling around the fallen man. Smooth, pale skin and a tailored suit spoke money. At least they could likely rule out intentional injury. It was a sad fact that far too many people tried to get money out of the stores by intentionally injuring themselves. Stores were generally all too willing to quite any possible lawsuits by paying out a sum.

As he knelt beside the fallen man to check his pulse, he was baffled by the stunning attractiveness displayed before him. Thick, sooty lashes splayed across pale cheeks. The faint hint of shadows beneath bespoke of lack of sleep and the downward frown creasing the lips seemed almost natural.

"Heart rate?"

Naruto jerked his gaze to where Kiba knelt with his clipboard. "Uh…normal?"

Kiba's brown eyes flickered to Naruto. "Naruto--"

Naruto's gaze flickered to his watch as he timed the slow, steady beats thrumming beneath his fingers. "Seventy-six."

He released his grip on the wrist, but not before taking a split second to caress the smooth skin beneath his callused fingers. A sudden sense of personal disgust washed through him. He was practically molesting his patient even if it was just a stroke across the skin of a wrist. It was still unprofessional.

Naruto moved to roll up the sleeves on his uniform and accepted the blood pressure cuff from Kiba while his partner clamped the neck brace securely around the pale neck in the event of a spinal neck injury. "One nineteen over seventy-eight."

He watched as the amazingly thick, dark lashes fluttered upward and a small groan escaped pale lips. "Take it easy."

"What?" A raspy baritone voice rumbled through chiseled lips. "What happened?"

"Lie still. Kiba…he's stable. Let's get him to General and let them check him over." Naruto scooped his patient's limp wrist in his hand and stroked slow fingers across the skin. "We're taking you to the hospital. You had a nasty fall and you need to be checked out. You've been unconscious for more than five minutes."

Another groan escaped, causing Naruto to tighten his grip. "What's your name?"

The lashes fluttered upward once more and peerless dark eyes met his. "Sasuke."

Kiba moved in to shine a pen light into the eyes, causing Sasuke to wince. "Pupils are responsive. Probably just a concussion and a hell of a headache, but we'll take him in just to be safe."

The two loaded Sasuke onto the stretcher and pushed him quickly from the store. Naruto chose to ride in the back with Sasuke while Kiba drove the ambulance to the nearest hospital on their route.

"Stay with me," he whispered as Sasuke's eyes began to droop once more. "Just hang on a little longer."

"Are you an angel?" rumbled Sasuke hoarsely.

Naruto's lips parted in a wide grin. "I'll be your angel today."

He did not have time to say more as the back doors were swung open and medical personnel at Konoha General immediately pulled the stretcher from the back of the ambulance. Naruto followed and rumbled off Sasuke's stats. As soon as Sasuke was shifted from the stretcher to an exam table, the two paramedics were shuffled from the room, their jobs done.

"Well that was easy." Kiba tossed his arm around Naruto's shoulder. "What do you say we head back to base and clock out? It's almost the end of our shift."

Naruto sent one last longing glance towards the curtained exam room before nodding. "Yeah--"

~*~

Santa sighed as he watched Sasuke lay sleeping in his hospital bed. Christmas was at its pinnacle, as were his powers. His hand lowered to rest over the area of Sasuke's heart and a pulse of cool magic worked into him causing dark eyes to flash open before fluttering closed once more.

"I'm giving you a gift, Sasuke Uchiha. Even though you have never truly held Christmas in your heart, I'm giving you the gift of a soul mate. You should find and cherish this gift because he is one of a kind. Never in you life will you meet another like him."

Santa stepped back from the bed and smiled down at the sleeping form. He heard steps outside the door and faded into nothing but a cool breeze in an instant. "Find your gift, Sasuke."

~*~

"You really should listen to the doctors. You had a nasty fall."

Sasuke glared in the direction of his brother and mother. The doctors in the ER were insisting he stay overnight to insure his concussion did not develop into something much more life-threatening. They even called his ICE contact listed in his cell phone. His brother immediately fetched their mother and both were now standing before him as he reclined in his private room.

"Only you would attempt to avoid Christmas by being put in the hospital." Itachi stared at Sasuke over the rim of his black framed glasses.

"I was Christmas shopping."

Itachi's brow arched. "So you say."

"Boys—"

Mikoto turned to Itachi. "Stop antagonizing your brother." She then turned to Sasuke. "Stop rising to his prodding."

Sasuke grumbled under his breath and leaned back against the soft linens. His thoughts drifted back to the hazy moments floating in his memory. He could recall bright blue eyes and a shock of blond hair. An almost halo like image floated behind him, giving him an angelic quality. The image of a relieved smile and the touch of a warm hand in his fluttered through his mind.

His heart sped up its thrumming, causing the monitor attached to him to beep even louder. It drew Itachi's gaze and he arched a brow in Sasuke's direction. "Thinking of something interesting?"

"Nothing I'll tell you about." Sasuke lowered his gaze to his lap and attempted to slow its beating. He couldn't stop thinking about the person he now mentally referred to as his angel. There were no such thing as angels in Sasuke's opinion, but in the injured state of his brain, he most certainly transposed angelic qualities on a human. He had never felt such a need to locate someone as desperately as he wanted to find his angel.

"You'll spill all eventually." Itachi stepped to their mother and offered a hand. "Let's allow Sasuke to rest. We'll be back tomorrow to pick you up in time for Christmas dinner."

Sasuke winced and suddenly wished the hospital was keeping him longer than overnight. Having to deal with the holidays and his celebratory mother was enough to bring consideration to bribing the hospital officials into diagnosing him with something to keep him hospitalized until the holiday season was complete and he could return to his normal life.

"Rest up, dear," whispered Mikoto as she placed a gentle kiss on Sasuke's brow.

As he lay back, his eyes staring blindly forward at the talk show flickering blandly on the television screen. His mind wandered back to his angel and a sudden need to find the man who was ingrained into his mind reared itself once again. The need was laced liberally with a tingle of unexpected possessiveness. For some unknown reason in his mind, his angel belonged to him.

Before he could even consider his options fully, his hand was reaching for the call button to summon a nurse to his side in hopes that she would be able to point him in the correct direction.

"Can I help you, Mr. Uchiha?"

Sasuke turned his gaze to face the nurse. "I'm looking for a blond."

~*~

Naruto sent a sad, slightly longing look towards the box of decorations he had removed from the office and truck. The New Year was in full swing and so the holiday decorations were being removed from every aspect of the city until the next year when they would once more be placed about in all their festive glory.

"You look like someone killed your dog."

Sad blue eyes drifted to where Kiba stood. "I have to take down the decorations."

"Thank God."

Naruto's tongue was stuck out in Kiba's direction. "Grinch!"

"You're just too stuck on Christmas. Just think, in little over a month is Valentine's Day. And you know what that means…" trailed off Kiba with a sharky grin. His eyebrows bobbed up and down.

"Yeah…I suppose…"

Naruto turned his gaze longingly to the garland, lights, and window decals piled into the worn, brown decoration box. The wait for Christmas to roll around once more would be a long one.

"For God's sake…Naruto…what the hell? I mean…it's the end of this year's Christmas…not the end of the world." Kiba stepped close and slapped Naruto across the back of the head. "Get a grip, dude."

"Naruto…" Sakura stepped from the front of the ambulance garage. "There's someone to see you in the main office."

Naruto moved to follow her, only to have Kiba latch onto his arm. "We'll finish this talk later then I'm taking you out to a bar and getting you laid. Your mind isn't focusing on what is important…like big tits and a round ass."

Rolling his eyes, he shrugged off Kiba's arm and chuckled at the lecherous grin spreading across his friend's face. "I'm gay, ass."

"Well…you want a dick and a nice ass. It's a moot point."

Naruto shook his head, allowing his spirits to lift at Kiba's good natured ribbing. He was nearly to his usual jovial self when he pushed through the outer door into the main office where the dispatcher worked. His eyes lighted on the slender man dressed in a sleek business suit, wool jacket thrown over his arm and impossibly dark eyes staring directly into Naruto's soul.

"Uhh?" As his gaze traveled over the stranger, a sense of recognition began to spread through him. "Have we met?"

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha." The dark eyes blinked slowly as they continued to stare down Naruto. "I wanted to meet you."

Unsure what to say, Naruto replied with the only thing he could. "Uh…hi?"

"Naruto!" Sakura peeked up from her place at the dispatcher's desk. "He's the man you helped at Macy's."

Recognition immediately sparked in his brain. "Oh! I'm glad you're alright."

Sasuke chuckled faintly. "It took some doing to find you to thank since all I had to go on was that a blond angel with a halo helped me."

"Angel? Me?"

"Who else?" Sasuke shrugged a shoulder. "I'm sure it was the concussion, but when I first saw you, you looked like an angel and I became determined to find you."

Naruto was speechless, a state rarely enacted on him. He wasn't sure if his good karma was coming back at him with a gift of if he had fallen asleep on the job and this was only a dream. His breath stilled in his chest and his head became slightly light headed despite his brain telling him there was nothing romantic in Sasuke Uchiha's overture. But he wanted it to be--badly. The connection he had felt when he had first looked into the hazy dark eyes was renewed with a vengeance. He needed this to be more than a thank you.

"Have dinner with me," asked Sasuke before quickly adding, "as a thank you."

A mixture of both disappointment and excitement rushed through him. For a moment he forgot himself and thought the offer might be meant as a date and not as a thank you. It was not the first time he had received invitations from thankful patients, but it was the first time he wished it meant more. "I don't think—"

"Go on, Naruto." Sakura leaned on the counter and smiled at him. "You've done so much as a paramedic…you should welcome the gratitude."

"I wasn't the only one there." Naruto thought back to Kiba. It wasn't right for him to take up the handsome Sasuke Uchiha on an offer of dinner when Kiba did just as much as Naruto in caring for him.

"Go on. I've a date tonight anyway." Kiba leered slightly in Sakura's direction. "But I might be willing to postpone it if you accept my offer, Sakura."

Sakura rolled her eyes and lifted her hand, displaying her wedding ring. "Married."

"Semantics," drawled Kiba.

Sasuke stepped forward with a small smirk on his face. "I suppose that means you're free."

"Wait a minute—" Control was quickly being ripped from his hands and he was left floundering for what he should say or do.

"Do you want to give me your address or should we meet?"

Kiba stepped forward and planted torn bit of paper into Sasuke's hand. "That's his address. He'll be ready at six."

"Hey!" Naruto reached for the piece of paper only to have it pulled out of his reach. His gaze darted to meet Sasuke's immersive eyes and was startled by the slight insecurity and nervousness displayed for only the instance of a breath. Just as quickly as it appeared, that shimmer was gone.

"Is six alright?"

Naruto nibbled lightly on his lower lip and nodded his head. "Yeah…six is good."

~*~

Sasuke stood outside Naruto's apartment with a mixed sense of nervousness and anticipation. Since setting on his quest to find Naruto, he had dealt with bureaucracy and his own family's misgivings about his absolute determination to find the man who was his angel. In his mind, Naruto Uzumaki belonged to him. It was fate that brought them together even though until that moment, he had never considered himself a believer in fate.

His hand raised and he gave one sharp rap to the wooden door with the small sign hanging on the knob stating that the doorbell was broken. His eyes darted over the rundown exterior of the hallway. There were miscellaneous stains on the threadbare carpet and rips in the wallpaper lining the hall. Once upon a time it might have been an attractive complex, but time had not been kind to it. After tonight, his next goal was to get Naruto away from this place.

The moment the door opened, Sasuke glared at Naruto and stepped inside with his packages. "How can you live in this dump?"

"Hey!" Naruto frowned as Sasuke brushed past him into the living room. "This is my home you're talking about."

Sasuke glanced around the small but surprisingly neat and well kept apartment. There were little bits of Naruto's personality displayed in the knickknacks and picture frames were filled with various faces, all smiling and happy. There were even a few lace doilies on display upon oiled and well cared for side tables. "I didn't want to dine out so I brought the restaurant to us."

If he wanted to be truthful, he had never had any plans to eat out. He simply used that excuse in order to get a foot in. His first order of business was to learn everything he could about Naruto, and his second was to seduce him. If all could be accomplished in one night, he would definitely be open to beginning their relationship tonight.

Naruto scowled in Sasuke's direction. "What if I had wanted to eat out?"

Instantly, Sasuke's features softened. "Do you want to eat out?"

A small smile quirked the side of Naruto's mouth, causing attractive dimples to be displayed. "Not really. You're a bit of a control freak, aren't you?"

Sasuke's smirk twisted downward into a scowl and he moved to the kitchen with the fragrant bags of food he had bought from one of the best restaurants in Konoha. "I wasn't sure what you wanted…so I bought a little of everything."

Naruto's eyes went wide at the name blazed on the brown bags that were placed on his small table. "Goddamn…how much did you spend? It would cost me a fucking paycheck to take someone to dinner there…let alone buy a little of everything."

"Seeing as I own the restaurant, I think I can safely bring you as much of the food as I please." Sasuke pulled out several containers of still steaming food. "Plates?"

Naruto was jarred from his thoughts and jumped to fetch two plates along with silverware and glasses. "I don't own any wine glasses," he said upon seeing the bottle of wine removed from one of the bags.

"It's fine." Sasuke popped the cork and set the bottle aside to breath. "I didn't tell you I was bringing dinner to you."

Sasuke pulled a smaller bag filled with fresh rolls and dumped them into one of the empty plates. "Take what you like, I've had it all and know it is fabulous."

"A bit arrogant aren't we?"

Sasuke snorted. "It's not arrogance if you know it's true."

He didn't say it was probably better than the usual fare served to customers since he had stood and watched his entire kitchen prepare the meal. They were probably so frazzled that they would have nightmares for a week. His periodical spot checks were legendary and usually quite vicious. He was not just the owner, he was a well respected chef. If he could have, he would have prepared the meal himself, but it was much less time consuming to simply watch as an entire kitchen tripped over themselves to prepare a perfect series of dishes.

He watched with amusement as Naruto took a small bite of pasta. It warmed his insides upon seeing the eyes light up and the fork dive back in for a larger bite.

"This is good."

Sasuke's smirk deepened. "I know."

"Don't be smug."

Again a smirk. "It's my nature."

The sound of eating filled the small kitchen. Sasuke watched Naruto more than he ate his own meal. He reached for the glasses and poured expensive chardonnay. He needed to stay occupied in order to keep from tackling Naruto to the ground that very instant and ravishing him until neither of them could walk straight. Beginning to learn about Naruto seemed a good place to start. "Why do you live here?"

Naruto paused and glanced around his apartment. "What's wrong with it?"

"That's not what I asked."

A chuckle escaped Naruto. "This was my first apartment. It was all I could afford while putting myself through school on night classes while I worked all day for only barely over minimum wage. I just didn't feel like moving after I had more money to spend."

Sasuke sipped his wine and smiled. It was just the answer he expected. Naruto was apparently an angel both in his mind and in reality. "Where are your parents?"

"Dead."

A pang worked through Sasuke's chest at the barely hidden sadness relayed in that one word. "I'm sorry."

"It happened a long time ago." Naruto sighed and sat back with a hand resting on his abdomen. "Why are you here, Sasuke Uchiha?"

"What do you mean?"

"You don't seem the type to shower the gift of a very expensive dinner on someone just as a thank you…even if you do own the restaurant." Naruto leaned forward, his eyes a piercing blue. "Why are you here?"

Honesty was always the best policy when dealing with loading questions such as the one just asked him. "I want you."

"Huh?"

"I saw you and wanted you. It didn't matter to me what I had to do or how much money I had to spend. I want you."

"I'm not a toy you can buy."

Naruto sounded angry, and his anger was spurring on Sasuke. "I know that…it's just—"

Something in Sasuke snapped. He had to show him the building intensity of his feelings over the last two weeks. In an instant, he was drawing Naruto to his feet and pressing him against the kitchen wall. His mouth assaulted Naruto and his tongue darted forward to flick at shock parted lips. The lust had built to an almost frightening level after finally seeing Naruto since the accident.

"Sasuke?" gasped Naruto. "What are you doing?"

Sasuke couldn't think. One hand dipped between them to palm at Naruto's crotch. He felt the instinctual response in the body beneath him and was spurred on to a wilder high. He rubbed harder and faster, relishing in the small groan that was breathed into his mouth.

"Naruto," he whispered desperately against the other's lips.

It was then, he noticed that Naruto was not truly reciprocating the attention. His hand dropped away from his crotch and his arms wrapped around the narrow waist while their lips parted and Sasuke buried his face in the warm, slightly damp neck. Shame washed through him but he could not pull away. He needed to be near Naruto.

"I'm sorry," he repeated over and over. "I'm sorry."

Naruto stood stiffly for several beats of their heart before his arms lifted and embraced Sasuke. "It's…okay, Sasuke. You just caught me by surprise."

Sasuke tightened his arms around Naruto. The need to remain enveloped in his heat was one of the more desperate sensations he had ever experienced.

At the touch of Naruto's hand in his hair, he finally pulled back to see warm and curious eyes staring down at him. He forced his arms to release the other and he stepped back while running a hand through his dark locks. "I don't know what—"

"I feel the same," interrupted Naruto. "I just didn't want to say. You move a little faster than I was expecting is all."

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose and shuddered at the need to move closer to Naruto. "I'll go."

He moved to leave when a hand latched onto his elbow and he was pulled against a warm chest. "Stay a little."

Naruto's lips nuzzled against Sasuke's cheek. Just that one touch felt absolutely perfect. His body shuddered and his eyes closed so to savor the sensation for as long as he could. "Naruto—"

"We should slow down," whispered Naruto against Sasuke's ear. "I'd like to know the man who claims me as his."

Unable to stop himself, Sasuke's body gave another shudder and he went limp against Naruto. If things had not felt so right, he might have been scared at the way things were turning out. People didn't feel this way so shortly after meeting, did they?

Naruto led Sasuke to the small but comfortable sofa. Their fingers linked and Naruto grinned widely. "So tell me, Sasuke, what is your favorite color?"

~*~

A wide grin spread across the ethereal features of Father Christmas. Things were back as they should be. Naruto and Sasuke might never know the reason for their relationship or why they felt such a pull to each other but they had an even greater gift. Naruto would bring light and joy into Sasuke's previously colorless life and Sasuke would vanquish the loneliness in Naruto's heart.

"I wish you both many happy Christmases together."

His words were lost in the wind that carried him back to his residence where he would watch on the two from above while waiting for the next Christmas to come around. Those two men were a perfect example of the happiness to be gained when one realized the true meaning of Christmas. It was not the gifts or the decorations, but a celebration to be shared with the ones we love.

The end.


End file.
